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The background shows sidewalk tiles - "rajoles" - that pave the sidewalks throughout Barcelona. They were designed by architect Puig i Cadafalch for the entryway of a home. Since 1915, they have been used by the city to pave sidewalks, and have become emblematic of the city. One of the city's most famous chocolatiers, Enric Rovira, produces chocolate bars in the shape and design of these tiles.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Mini-MTC

At the beginning of July a new missionary training schedule and curriculum was announced worldwide. We began implementation of the new training curriculum with a three day training session this week for all zone and district leaders and trainers. In all, we had 31 missionaries (out of 85 total) participating in the training. Some of them had to travel in the day before and travel home the day after, so they were out of their area for 5 days. This meant that in some cases we had two brand new missionaries with a week in the mission field working together for five days. Great experience!

We conducted training at the chapel closest to the mission home (Barcelona Barrio 2) each day from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. In the evening the Elders went out and worked and applied what they were learning. It was a very intense training experience. The training was divided into eight different lessons (of about 2 hours ) each focusing on a specific topic, but all centered around how to teach more effectively. It was a physically tiring but spiritually energizing week!

We met in the Relief Society room and brought some rugs over from the mission home to help dampen the noise (the tile floors create an echo in the rooms).

Gathering after a short break

On Tuesday we gave everyone 5 euros and sent them out as companionships to buy lunch and make a contact. They came back having eaten and shared the gospel! On Wednesday we had pizza delivered (always a popular meal). And on Wednesday the amazing Hna. Belnap prepared Cafe Rio style burritos!

NEW BLOG

This blog covers the time of service of President and Hermana Hinckley, 2009-2012. President and Hermana Pace have a new blog for the mission. Check it out for the latest photographs and information!

The Spain Barcelona Mission

Welcome to the greatest mission in the world! This blog is designed to give families of missionaries, newly called missionaries, returned missionaries and others updates on what is happening in the mission.

You can read copies of our monthly mission newsletter, El Clarín (see links below). If you would like to be notified of new posts, click on "Join this Site" below. Useful information for newly called missionaries can be found by clicking on the additional pages in the menu above.

NEWS!

President Mark L. Pace has been called to preside over the Spain Barcelona Mission. He will serve with his wife, Sister Anne Marie Pace. President and Sister Pace currently live in Salt Lake City, Utah, and will begin their new assignment on 29 June 2012. ¡Bienvenidos a los Pace!

About the Mission

The Spain Barcelona Mission extends from Santander on the Bay of Biscay (on the Atlantic Ocean) to Valencia on the Mediterranean, and includes the islands of Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza. Major cities include Barcelona, Bilbao, Burgos, Santander, San Sebastian, Pamplona, Girona, Tarragona, Valencia, Zaragoza, and Palma de Mallorca. It also includes the principality of Andorra in the Pyrenees. About 14 million people live within the boundaries of the mission.

The mission includes three distinct languages and two additional dialects: Spanish, Catalan (and its derivatives, Valenciano and Mallorquin), and Basque. However, Church services and missionary work are all conducted in Spanish.

Missionaries serving in the Spain Barcelona Mission can expect to baptize regularly. It is possible to baptize weekly in this mission. Spain is entering a great "second harvest" (the first great harvest was in the 1970s), and missionary work here is more like South America than northern Europe.

The mission home is located atC/ Calatrava 10-12, bajos08017 Barcelona

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Spain Barcelona Missionaries as Art

This porcelain statue was created by the Lladró company in Valencia, using two Spain Barcelona missionaries as models (note they have briefcases rather than backpacks). It remains in the historical catalog and is item 01008273.

This photograph was displayed for several months in the Tarragona bus station: Elders Keller and Nasaeth

el faro

According to local legend, Elder F. Burton Howard, who was the president of the Europe West Area, toured the mission circa 2000 and referred to the mission as a lighthouse - el faro. The name stuck, and missionaries since then have referred to the mission as "el faro." See "Mission Vocabulary" above.